1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer systems and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for transferring digital video and other real time information.
2. History Of The Prior Art
The typical personal computer has been designed to deal with application programs involving, among other things, word processing, spread sheets, and drawings. Although these application programs often involve a great amount of data, they do not involve the transfer of information in real time. Consequently, various operations of the computer in presenting the data to the user of these application programs can be delayed without affecting the results as far as the user is concerned. The programs may run more slowly, but the results are just as useful as they would be if the programs ran faster.
Recently, a number of computer designers have attempted to enhance personal computers by providing means by which personal computers may handle real time information such as television pictures and stereo sound. Programs involving real time information must be run so that each bit of information is treated as it becomes available. Television pictures which slow from frame to frame and music which slows from note to note because the programs slow are simply not acceptable. The amount of information that has to be transferred in order to deal with these types of real time information is much more than the bus for the typical personal computer is designed to handle. Consequently, when the typical personal computer attempts to transfer real time information such as video, the bus is overloaded with information and is unable to function correctly. This slows the computer operation and produces unacceptable results.